The Misadventures of Mike Schmidt: The Truth
by TheGreatElisaMousy
Summary: SECOND INSTALLMENT. Mike's on friendly terms with the animatronics, so everything's good, right? Wrong. Mike's been having nightmares about getting stuffed, and now the truth about the night guards is about to be revealed to Freddy and the gang.
1. Chapter 1

**Here we are again, for another installment of The Misadventure of Mike Schmidt~ You can check my profile for the next stories in the series, but I am quite open for suggestions (please note that The End? ends with a question mark for a reason).**

**Anyway, Scott Cawthon owns all things FNaF, I am just borrowing the characters for the meantime. On with the show~**

* * *

Mike rolled his eyes at what was displayed on the screen in front of him. It had been a few weeks since he and the animatronics had gotten on friendly terms, so this job was much more relaxed than it had been before, now that it no longer held him in a cycle of terror. He'd just peeked inside Parts and Services to see that Bonnie had moved things around again. He had a habit of doing that, which absolutely drove Freddy up the wall, because things were being put 'out of order'.

This time, he had arranged all the empty heads into a totem pole, all staring right at the camera.

"Whatcha doing?" a female voice said to his right, and he jumped slightly before looking back at Chica, who was leaned against the doorway.

"Please stop doing that," Mike groaned, leaning back against his chair. Even though he knew they weren't going to kill him, they still freaked him out when they snuck up on him out of nowhere. The only one he could count on knowing when he was coming was Foxy, and that was because his suit's feet had long since worn away, leaving just the endoskeleton underneath.

"I'm just standing here," the chicken said, even though she knew exactly what the guard was talking about.

Mike decided to ignore her for the moment and look back at the screen. The heads were still stacked, staring into his soul. It gave him chills, though he'd never admit it. Especially knowing what happened there so often.

He usually helped Freddy when it came to straightening up, but actively avoided Parts and Services. He wouldn't even go near the door, because he couldn't stand to see the empty suits in person, knowing how close he could have come to be stuffed in. And all the suits that previous guards had been shoved in. He shuddered involuntarily, catching Chica's attention, though for the moment, she said nothing.

Mike set the tablet down as soon as he saw Freddy enter Parts and Services, looking quite annoyed. After all, Bonnie had taken _literally_ every head to make the totem pole. Mike wanted to help, he really did, but… he couldn't. Especially not with an animatronic there.

He had long since accepted that they weren't going to kill him, but he still had an occasional involuntary reaction, such as when Foxy came to visit, he still sometimes closed the door without thinking. Of course, then he'd open the door and apologize repeatedly to the fox. Freddy sometimes hummed the Toreador March while cleaning, and even though it was humming instead of playing the audio track, it still chilled Mike to the bone.

And Bonnie never helped matters. It seemed like, at the start, he had followed Chica's lead with the pranks. Nowadays, he sometimes took things a little too far. Both he and Freddy could remove their eyes, though Freddy hardly ever did. Bonnie, though, as soon as he saw the camera light go on in Parts and Services, pulled them out and stared straight into the lens, which left Mike staring at his two least favorite things: and eyeless Bonnie and that dreaded room. Mike knew that if he never fully recovered from the trauma he'd suffered that first month, it would be Bonnie's fault.

"Alright, just what are you staring at?" Chica asked, annoyed. Mike had not only completely ignored her, but poured all his focus into the tablet.

Mike blinked, snapping out of his thoughts. "What? Oh, no, I was just thinking."

"About?" the yellow animatronic queried.

"You don't need to know," the guard answered quietly. They probably did, though. He really should tell them the truth about the previous guards. But he'd grown accustomed to Chica's sass, Foxy was a giant puppy, essentially, and Bonnie, despite his pranks, adored Mike just as much as the rest.

And of course, Freddy. Mike had surprised himself when he realized that he looked up to the leader of the animatronics. But the bear (when he wasn't trying to stuff anyone in a suit, anyway) was very polite and proper, and actually a pretty good role model.

And if the animatronics knew that they'd killed living people… They'd be crushed. Especially Freddy, most likely. The bear would probably blame himself for not seeing it sooner and stopping the others. Mike really didn't want to do that to any of them. But if he was fired, injured, or had to move… If Management had to hire someone else, even temporarily, as the night guard… The animatronics would be on him in an instant. The poor guy would have no hope.

Mike knew he had to tell them. But how could he?

He subtly shook his head, trying to get those thoughts off his mind. He really didn't want to think about that here. They would all pick up on his change in mood, they'd ask what was wrong. And he would either have to lie or tell the truth, and he still hadn't figured out a way to break it to them gently yet. Of course, how _do_ you gently tell someone 'Oh yeah, by the way, you've been killing people for at least ten years.' And considering how fast this place went through night guards, usually… These guys had to have a body count of at least hundreds. He shuddered once again at the thought.

"Are you alright?" Chica asked, concern finally weaseling its way into her voice.

"I'm fine," he lied. "Could you, uh, leave me alone for a little while, please?"

The bird paused, staring at the guard. Finally, she shrugged. "Alright," she replied, leaving. Of course, it was Chica, so he knew the matter wasn't dropped…

_**X**_

"Michael?"

Mike looked up from his tablet again, which had been focused on Pirate's Cove, to see Freddy in the doorway where Chica had been about an hour ago. "What's up, Freddy?" he asked, feigning calm.

"I would like to ask you the same question," the bear simply replied. "May I come in?" At the guard's hesitant nod, he entered. "Chica tells me that something's been bothering you."

"Of course she did," Mike muttered bitterly. "I really don't want to talk about it," he informed Freddy. _And you don't want to know. Not yet._

"You know we worry about you, Michael," Freddy told him. "You're the first human night guard we've had in a long time." Mike bit his lip discreetly, resisting the urge to correct him. "If there's something bothering you, we'd like to know. And if we've done something… Don't be afraid to tell us. We won't attack you, I promise."

_We won't attack you…_ The words rang through Mike's mind repeatedly as he stared up at the bear. If only Freddy knew how much that thought went through his mind.

He sometimes wondered how it was that the animatronics never realized that they were stuffing human beings instead of endoskeletons. How did they explain all the blood? And the 'squelch' of crushed muscle and bone that was probably made? _How did they not know?_

Mike's gaze toward Freddy turned slightly fearful as the thoughts ran through his head. What if they'd known all along and didn't care? What if they were just biding their time with him, playing with their prey before going in for the kill?

"Michael?"

Mike snapped out of his thoughts once again. Freddy wore a very concerned expression, and his voice revealed the same amount of worry. "You're still afraid of us, aren't you?"

The guard didn't want to answer. He had definitely grown to like the animatronics, that was for sure, but… He couldn't truthfully tell them that he no longer feared them. "A little," he admitted, not wanting to lie more than he had to. He knew that Freddy would understand his fear. What he did not know, however, was what the bear's reaction to the truth would be. How would he handle it? He might turn on Mike for delivering such bad news. Then again… that was just a stupid thought. Out of all four animatronics, Freddy was the most reasonable, and thus, would most likely have the most reasonable reaction. Of course, that didn't mean the reaction would be good. Hell, Mike _hoped_ the reaction wouldn't be good. Then, at least, he'd know that there was regret there. And regret meant that he was safe. It was a selfish thought, but it was there.

"I understand why you would be scared," the animatronic said with a small, sad nod. "I'm honestly quite surprised that you aren't still terrified of us, closing the doors every time we get near, after a month of terror."

"Well, it's been a few weeks, and you haven't stuffed me yet, so there's room for trust, right?" Mike replied, sounding surer than he felt.

"Will you promise to let us know if we do something that scares or upsets you?" Freddy asked, giving him a serious look.

Mike nodded. "Yeah, I promise." Finally, something he could say truthfully.

"Since it appears that you would rather be left alone, I leave you to your work," the leader of the animatronic band said, tipping his hat. "Good night, Michael."

"Night, Freddy," the guard replied, going back to checking the cameras. Hopefully, he would get lucky and Foxy would leave him alone. But, just in case… He pressed the button that closed the left door.

_**X**_

"What be this about?" Foxy asked, staring at the closed door. "Mike?" he called through the window, but when he received no response, he backed up and stared into the camera with a questioning look, hoping that Mike would check it. A few seconds later, the red light of the camera came on, signaling that Mike was looking at him. Foxy turned to look through the window once again and tilted his head questioningly. Mike simply shook his head and pointed down the hall, a clear indication that he wanted Foxy to leave him alone. But why?

Foxy's shoulders slumped as he went back down the hallway, but he didn't stop at Pirate's Cove. He kept going to the Dining Area, where Freddy was. Mike had clearly taken a liking to the bear, so if anyone were to know what was up, it would be him.

"Ahoy, there, Freddy!" the fox called once he caught sight of the other animatronic.

"Hello, Foxy," Freddy greeted back.

"What be the problem with the lad?" the pirate asked. "Th' doors were shu'."

"Michael wishes to be left alone for the moment," Freddy told him.

"Why?" Foxy pried.

"He still fears us a little," the bear answered solemnly.

"But we be treatin' him righ'," the fox pointed out. "We found ou' he's human an' stopped tryin' to stuff him."

"Yes, and while that pay be true, we were after him for an entire month," Freddy pointed out. "One can't go through all that and be expected to not have any emotional scars. It will take time. And even then, we may never earn his full trust."

"So, wha' do we do?" Foxy asked.

"Hope, Foxy," Freddy told him. "All we can do is hope."

* * *

**Okay, a **_**little**_** shorter than I was hoping. I wanted to break 2,000 words with the body of the chapter, but that didn't happen. Oh well. Next ones will (hopefully) be longer. Last installment was almost all humor with a few looks into the darker past. This time, shit gets serious. There will be humor in future installments, you can be sure of that, but there's not going to be much this time. So if you're looking for a laugh… you might wanna go read Introductions again.**

**Please review, and I'll see you all next time~**


	2. Chapter 2

**So, I'm glad you guys like MoMS~ I was a little concerned, considering this little series is essentially my first FNaF 'plot set'. Well, without further ado, then, let's get on with it, shall we~?**

* * *

_Mike leaned back in his chair, staring down at the screens. None of the animatronics had bothered him. Bonnie was in the Dining Area, Chica was banging around in the kitchen, Foxy was still behind the curtains, and while he couldn't see Freddy, he knew the bear had a tendency to hide in the shadows._

_Glancing down at the Parts and Services camera, he resisted the urge to pull the camera down. He had to get over this some time, and he might as well take care of it now, as long as Bonnie stayed put in the Dining Area. Otherwise, he'd always live in fear of one little room._

_Steeling his resolve, he set down the tablet, turned on his flashlight, and entered the hall. His heart rate increased with every step he took, but he had to do it. Bonnie, who'd been doodling on a plastic tablecloth with dry erase marker, no doubt to bother Freddy more, looked up at him._

"_Hey, Mike," the rabbit asked. "Where are you going?"_

"_Just… stay there for a while, okay?" the guard requested, hoping that Bonnie would listen to him for once._

"_I'm fine right here," Bonnie said with a shrug, continuing to doodle. Mike let out a sigh of relief that he hadn't realized he'd been holding._

_He walked over to the door, took a deep breath, and opened it._

_Luckily for him, the heads were still turned to face the camera since Bonnie's last 'rearrangement'. There was an empty suit in the back corner, a spare for Freddy, in case the children got a little too grabby and his first suit was damaged in some way. There was no head, which wasn't really a problem, considering that there were tons lining the shelves._

"_Hello, Michael," a voice suddenly said, making Mike jump and drop his flashlight._

_He hastily bent down to grab the light. Pointing it at the animatronic that had been invisible from the camera, he sighed with relief at the sight of brown fur. "Oh, thank god, Freddy it's only…" He trailed off when he saw the bear staring down at him with no eyes._

"_What are you doing out of your suit?" Freddy asked in a chiding tone. "That's against the rules."_

_Mike screamed as a large paw grabbed the back of his shirt, dragging him toward the empty suit._

_**X**_

Mike sat straight up in bed, breathing heavily, drenched in sweat. He ran a hand through his soaked hair, trying to calm down.

He'd been having nightmares about Parts and Services for weeks, now, and it was seriously messing with his sleep. Looking at the clock, he saw that it was 9 PM. He had three hours before his shift started. He knew he should go back to sleep, but he knew that if he did, the nightmares would just return.

So instead, he got up to make a cup of coffee.

Sitting at his table, after his coffee was made, he leaned on his elbows. He _needed_ to take care of this, or it would haunt him for the rest of his life. And he really didn't want to deal with that…

_**X**_

Mike arrived back at the pizzeria a half hour before his shift started, sitting down in a chair as the janitorial staff continued to clean. His eyes drifted to the closed Parts and Services door, but he knew he couldn't go in until after the main power went out. It wouldn't be the same, otherwise. The experience would be much different.

Of course, as the time ticked by, he began to lose his nerve, and wound up inside his office by the time the main power was shut down. He rubbed his temples, angry at his own cowardice, but what else could he do? The fear gripped at him, tearing at his insides, as it would until there was nothing left.

"What's up, Mike?" he heard from the right door.

"Not now, please, Chica," he told her, causing her to grumble a bit to herself. It looked like this night was going to be a repeat of the previous one. Well, not exactly. She wasn't going to go tattling to Freddy two nights in a row.

"Alright, suit yourself," she replied with a shrug, walking to the door. Mike tried not to wince at the word 'suit'. As soon as she started down the hall, she poked her head back in and said, "Just to let you know, I'll be making some pizza." When Mike didn't respond, she grew a bit concerned. He _loved_ her pizzas, so for him to ignore one, this had to be serious.

_**X**_

Hours went by, and Mike still found himself inside the office, knowing he should go and face his fear, but too terrified to actually do so. After finally summing up what little courage he had, he looked down at the camera. Bonnie was chilling in the Supply Closet, Chica was in the kitchen, and Foxy hadn't moved from Pirate's Cove.

As for Freddy, he couldn't be found, but there was a good chance he was helping Chica in the kitchen, as he did on occasion. Mike shook his head and checked Parts and Services. Empty. He took another look around to see that Bonnie had moved to the Dining Area, and was reaching into the arts and craft boxes.

He shook his head again and took a deep breath, knowing it was now or never.

Grabbing his flashlight, he turned it on and moved out into the hall. When he reached the Dining Area, Bonnie was doodling on the plastic tablecloth… with dry erase markers. Mike hoped it was just coincidence.

"Hey, Mike," Bonnie began. "Where are you going?"

The guard shuddered, accidentally repeating the words from his dream: "Just… stay there for a while, okay?"

"I'm fine right here," the animatronic replied with a shrug. Mike turned, taking a deep breath, to the Parts and Services door.

_Please don't be there, Freddy,_ he thought desperately, glancing over his shoulder at Bonnie? Would the rabbit stay there? Or, if it had all been a trick, would he strike as soon as Mike was inside Parts and Services, blocking the door so he couldn't escape?

_Stop it, Mike,_ he told himself sternly. He was just being paranoid. And so, without further ado, he placed his hand on the knob and opened the door.

It appeared to be empty, so he turned his flashlight on, roaming over the empty heads, trying not to shudder as they stared at him, some with eyes, some without. A few empty suits were against the walls, replacements in case any of the animatronics got their suits really messy during the day. Their endoskeletons could be taken out of one suit and put into the next for the time being, until the first one was clean. These suits were a lot less stable, and thus, it was obvious that they were only meant to be used temporarily.

Mike briefly wondered if they got that way from having so many guards shoved inside.

That's what they had to do, right, reuse the suits? The pizzeria didn't have enough money lying around to pay minimum wage, much less by new replacements suits every few weeks. So they probably thoroughly cleaned the suits, inside and out, and placed them back here, in Parts and Services, waiting for the next unsuspecting victim.

He couldn't help but wonder which suit they had stuffed Phone Guy in… It made him shudder again to think about. For some reason, hearing the man's voice, and even his last moments, made it that much more real, that much more tangible that yes, people had died in this establishment.

His friends had killed them.

"Hello, Michael," he heard and automatically froze. His head turned slowly toward the source of the voice to see none other than Freddy Fazbear looking down at him. Before he knew it, he was on the floor, his knees having collapsed from weakness. Now, the bear towered over him even more, and it would be so much easier to drag him across the floor, straight into one of those empty suits…

"_DON'T KILL ME!"_

* * *

**God dammit… I wanted this to be longer than it was, but it was as long as I could make it without adding in boring filler stuff that no one really wants to read. I'm so used to making longer chapters, these 'less-than-2000-words' chapters are driving me up the wall.**

**Also: Sorry I wasn't able to update this earlier. I've been a little busy, but spring break just started. Granted, I have work and my volunteer work, but I can stay up later, so that's the most important part. That's when I get most of my writing done anyway. So, I hope you guys liked it and I hope it was worth the wait. Sorry for the cliffhanger, but it seemed like a good placed to stop.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, here I am, back again~ (Every time I say that, I think of Back Again by Groundbreaking) Anyway, I'd like to mention something: No one's commented on it, which makes me happy, but I would like to say that I know what I call Parts and Services is really Backstage. My reasoning for this: it is not behind the stage. Thus, is cannot be Backstage. It has spare parts and suits, thus it is Parts and Services.**

**Now that that's taken care of, let's continue, shall we~?**

* * *

"_DON'T KILL ME!"_

Foxy's head shot up when he heard what was unmistakably Mike's voice cry out. He immediately ran out of Pirate's Cove, heading in the direction he'd heard the yell come from. When he arrived, it appeared that Chica and Bonnie had had the same idea. All three hurried into Parts and Services to see Mike cowering on the ground, with Freddy standing above him.

"What happened?" Chica asked, staring accusingly at Freddy.

"I believe I may have startled him," the bear replied sadly. "Please, relax, Michael. We have no intention of harming you."

Mike found himself frozen in terror. Now all four of them were in the room. Before, he'd had a slim chance of escape. Now, he had none. "You're going to stuff me into a suit…" he choked out through his fear. "Just like all the other guards…"

"They be just endoskeletons, laddie," Foxy told him.

"Yeah," Bonnie added. "You're human, we'd never stuff you in a suit."

"No…" Mike whispered, voice trembling. "You just don't get it…"

"Don't get what?" Chica asked, beginning to become impatient with the man's actions.

"The other guards were human, too!" he found himself yelling.

"Michael, what are you talking about?" Freddy asked, voice full of concern.

"Didn't you ever wonder why they always 'broke'?" the guard choked out. "Why they bled?" His eyes drifted to the faint red stains on the walls and floor as they began to water. "They weren't endoskeletons…" His voice got even quieter. "They never were…"

"Are you trying to tell us…" Bonnie began slowly, "that those guards were… human?"

"Yes!" Mike yelled. "They were all humans! Think about it! Did they look more like me," he gestured to himself, "or _that_?" He gestured to the bare endoskeleton on the table.

That seemed to get them. Foxy's ears drooped. Chica's shoulders slumped. Bonnie almost seemed to curl in on himself. And Freddy… He stared at the stains on the walls.

"We murdered innocent people…" the bear whispered, static filling his voice box, making the words almost indiscernible.

"Ever since 1987…" Bonnie said, the same static filling his voice as well.

"Those poor, poor people…" Chica whispered.

"We be monsters…" Foxy finished. Without warning, he ran out of the room, probably back to Pirate's Cove. Chica left afterward, followed by Bonnie, but Freddy stayed where he was, unmoving, even with his gaze.

Mike hastily stood, his eyes never leaving the animatronic. "Perhaps you should go back to the office, Michael," the bear advised. Mike immediately took his advice.

_**X**_

Mike left his office that morning with a grim expression. He saw Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica all on stage, where they were supposed to be, but something felt… off. It looked different, somehow, even though the three of them stood in the exact same place they always did, in the exact same position they had always assumed when the clock struck 6 am, staring straight ahead. And he knew that _he_ did that.

He probably could have handled the situation better, but he'd panicked. If only he'd been able to stay calm, perhaps it would've made the news a little easier to take. But since he'd told them that night, none of them even came close to the office. The closest was Bonnie, but he'd shut himself away in the Supply Closet, staring at the shelves.

He knew that they thought he was afraid of them.

Granted, some part of him still was, but mostly, he knew that they were his friends. And seeing their reactions to this gruesome news… It reassured him, somehow, that the four of them weren't monsters. They just hadn't understood. Their programming made them see anything with a human shape that was there after hours as an endoskeleton, which, without its suit, was against the rules to wander around. And in the past, they'd had nothing to tell them otherwise, until Mike came. He was honestly just lucky that they'd observed his human behaviors and recognized that that wasn't normal for an endoskeleton.

"I'm sorry, guys," he whispered softly, passing Valerie Logan on his way out without so much as a hello.

_**X**_

Mike was still thinking about his grave mistake when a coworker at his other job, a cashier at a supermarket, snapped her fingers in his face.

"Yo, Schmidt, anyone in there?" the girl asked. Her name was Lucy Harper, and she went to the local high school. She had a habit of chatting his ear off some days, while others, she spent in silence. She was constantly dying her short, pixie-style hair. Today, it was teal.

"Huh? Oh, yeah," he said, shaking his head.

"You wanna get some sleep?" Lucy asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "I can cover for you, y'know." She studied him for a moment. "Don't you work that night guard job at that pizza place?" she asked.

"Freddy Fazbear's Pizza," he informed her. "Yeah, I do."

"I hear it's a really shady place," she said. She paused before looking him dead in the eye. He was still unnerved by the style of her contacts. She insisted on wearing amber lenses with black triangles at the top and bottom, giving a cat-like effect. This chick was weird, and her six ear piercings on each side and small nose ring did more than enough to prove that. Some days, Mike wasn't sure how she didn't manage to get fired. "So, is it true that all the past guards all either went missing or quit within their first week?"

"They didn't disappear, they died," Mike said without thinking, too tired to comprehend his own thoughts.

Lucy's eyes widened. "Then what the hell are you still working there for?"

"Four dollars an hour," he joked lamely.

"Ha, ha, real funny, Schmidt," she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "But seriously, why haven't you quit yet?"

"Because I know I'm not going to die," he said simply. "All that stuff's taken care of now."

"Why didn't anyone go to the police?"

"Like anyone would believe them," Mike muttered. He looked back at Lucy. "You can't tell anyone about that, alright?"

"But—"

"_Alright_?" Mike asked again.

The high schooler studied him for a moment before shrugging. "If you're sure… But if you die and come back as a ghost, you are _so_ getting an 'I told you so'."

Mike laughed. "Deal," he said. Yeah, Lucy was weird, but sometimes, it really came in handy…

_**X**_

Mike sat in his boss's office, shifting uncomfortably in the seat. Valerie was nice, but it felt almost like being called to the principal's office. She had called his house about two hours before his shift, and now here he sat, at 10:45, waiting for her to say something.

"Don't worry, Schmidt, you're not in trouble," she said with a small laugh. "This may seem like an odd question, but… How have you lasted this long? Most guards quit long before now."

"Or die," the man said plainly. "I got lucky. They figured out I'm not an endoskeleton."

"They're that intelligent?" Valerie asked, staring at him.

"Yeah," Mike replied. "And they learn pretty easily. They, um… They know about the other guards now, too…"

"Oh, dear," the manager said, rubbing her temples. "I knew something was off."

"What do you mean?" Mike asked.

Valeria sighed. "It was such a subtle difference that the kids never noticed, but I've been in charge of this place for five years now. They seemed… different. The show wasn't as happy anymore. It was like they were almost… depressed, and just going through the motions."

"I guess even programming can't override emotion," Mike said softly. "Those are some impressive robots right there."

"I need you to fix this, Schmidt," Valerie told him. "Especially knowing they're intelligent… Well… We can't have them like that." She smiled at him softly. "After all, am I to assume you've become friends with them?"

"Pretty good friends, yeah," Mike admitted. "Don't worry, I'll fix all this. Somehow…"

_**X**_

Mike sat in his chair, leaning back and staring at the ceiling. He had promised Valerie that he would fix this, but he knew that the animatronics would need a few more days to process the information bomb he had so 'gently' dropped on them. With nothing to do, as his neighbor Heather didn't have any homework for him to look over, he glanced down at the phone. He might as well…

"_**Hello, hello? Uh, I wanted to record a message for you to help you get settled in on your first night. Um, I actually worked in that office before you. I'm finishing up my last week now, as a matter of fact."**_

_Too bad you never actually finished it the way you thought._

"_**So, I know it can be a bit overwhelming, but I'm here to tell you there's nothing to worry about."**_

_Right. Nothing to worry about. Sure, Phone Guy, sure._

"_**Uh, you'll do fine. So, let's just focus on getting you through your first week. Okay? Uh, let's see, first there's an introductory greeting from the company that I'm supposed to read. Uh, it's kind of a legal thing, you know. Um, 'Welcome to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. A magical place for kids and grown-ups alive, where fantasy and fun come to life."**_

_Because everyone fantasizes about being stuffed into an animatronic suit._

"_**Fazbear Entertainment is not responsible for damage to property or person. Upon discovering that damage or death has occurred, a missing person report will be filed within 90 days, or as soon as property and premises have been thoroughly cleaned and bleached, and the carpets have been replaced."**_

_How the hell was it that I didn't quit when I heard that? I should have known something was up._

"_**Blah blah blah, now that might sound bad, but there's really nothing to worry about."**_

_Really? REALLY? Yeah, tell that to your poor, rotting carcass._

"_**Uh, the animatronics here do get a bit quirky at night, but do I blame them? No. If I were forced to sing those same stupid songs for thirty years and I never got a bath? I'd probably be a bit irritable at night, too. So remember, these characters hold a special place in the hearts of children and we need to show them a little respect, right? Okay."**_

_Yeah, WE need to show THEMN respect. Makes total sense when they're trying to KILL you._

"_**So, just be aware, the characters do tend to wander a bit."**_

_No shit, Sherlock._

"_**Uh, they're left in some kind of free roaming mode at night. Uh… Something about their servos locking up if they get turned off for too long. Uh, they used to be allowed to walk around during the day too. But then there was the Bite of '87. Yeah. I-It's amazing that the human body can live without the frontal lobe, you know?"**_

_But it was an accident. They shouldn't have been punished for that. Foxy was hacked._

"_**Uh, now concerning your safety, the only REAL risk to you as the night watchman here, if any, is the fact that these characters, uh, if they happen to see you after hours probably won't recognize you as a person. They' p-most likely see you as an endoskeleton without its costume on."**_

_Not anymore, Phone Guy… Not anymore._

"_**Now since that's against the rules here at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, they'll probably try to… forcefully stuff you inside a Freddy Fazbear suit."**_

_Thank you for giving me nightmares about that, by the way._

"_**Um, now, that wouldn't be so bad if the suits themselves weren't filled with crossbeams, wires, and animatronics devices, especially around the facial area. So, you could imagine how having your head forcefully pressed inside one of those could cause a bit of discomfort… and death."**_

_But that's not too bad, right? I mean, it's just DEATH. No biggie._

"_**Uh, the only parts of you that would likely see the light of day again would be your eyeballs and teeth when the pop out the front of the mask, heh."**_

_Why the HELL are you laughing about that?!_

"_**Y-Yeah, they don't tell you these things when you sign up."**_

_Of course not, dumbass. No one would apply if they knew that._

"_**But hey, first day should be a breeze. I'll chat with you tomorrow. Uh, check those cameras, and remember to close the doors only if absolutely necessary. Gotta conserve power. Alright, good night."**_

_Yeah, good night to you, too._

Mike pressed the button to stop the messages. Just hearing that first one was depressing enough. He didn't want to have to hear the rest, not now.

Not when he was feeling the guilt of what he had done to his friends.

* * *

**Yeah… I know about half of this was the phone call and Mike's reaction. But I figured it had to be in here somewhere. Next chapter will primarily be Mike listening to nights 2 and 3, **_**maybe**_** night 4, as well, where things start to pick up again.**

**Also, Lucy was a last minute character. She may show up here and there, but let me know if you want to see more of her. There's going to be a poll up on my profile of favorite characters. Please vote THERE so I can keep track of it all without having to go back and forth between reviews and the poll.**

**See you next time, guys~ Elisa out~**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm back~ Here's another chapter that I admit, is mostly the phone messages and Mike's reaction to them. It gives you a bit of a peek into the mind of our dear friend, Mike Schmdit.**

* * *

Mike sighed as he entered his office. The previous night, the animatronics had left him completely alone, as they had the night before when he'd upset them with the truth. Once again, he had nothing to do, so he turned back to the phone, pressing the button to bring back more memories.

"_**Uhh, hello? Hello? Uh, well, if you're hearing this and you made it to day two, uh, congrats!"**_

_How else would I be hearing this if I didn't make it to night two?_

"_**I-I won't talk quite as long this time since Freddy and his friends tend to become more active as the week progresses."**_

_Yeah, try being here for a month._

"_**Uhh, it might be a good idea to peek at those cameras while I talk just to make sure everyone's in their proper place. You know… Uh… Interestingly enough, Freddy himself doesn't come off stage very often."**_

_No, only to fix the chairs and clean up the messes around the pizzeria. Plus, the guy's great at figuring out strategies and stuff. He almost got me a few times, and I think HE was the one with the 'make the power go out' idea._

"_**I heard he becomes a lot more active in the dark though, so, hey, I guess that's one more reason not to run out of power, right?"**_

_My point exactly._

"_**I-I also want to emphasize the importance of using your door lights. There are blind spots in your camera views and those blind spots happen to be right outside of your doors."**_

_That would have been nice to know on night one, thank you very much._

"_**So if… if you can't find something, or someone, on your camera, be sure to check the door lights. Uh, you might only have a few seconds to react… Uh, not that you would be in any danger, of course. I'm not implying that."**_

_Oh, of COURSE not._

"_**Also, check on the curtain in Pirate Cove from time to time. The character in there seems unique in that he becomes more active if the cameras remain off for long periods of time. I guess he doesn't like being watched. I don't know."**_

_You could have told me THAT on night one, too. Thanks for worrying about my safety._

"_**Anyway, I'm sure you have everything under control! Uh, talk to you soon."**_

_Under control. Right._

Mike sighed as he sat back in his chair, mentally going over what Phone Guy told him on night two. There was a lot of information he _could_ have told him on the first night, that would have been extremely useful, such as the door lights and the 'Foxy trick' as Mike called it.

He couldn't help but wonder why Phone Guy was so calm about everything. One would think that he would be telling Mike to get the hell out of that place, but instead, he was trying to convince him that it was all going to be fine. Or, wait… Was he just trying to convince himself that the whole time, just over the recording for the new guy?

With that in mind, he played the next message.

"_**Hello, hello?"**_

_Does the guy always have to say hi twice?_

"_**Hey, you're doing great! Most people don't last this long. I mean, you know, they usually move on to other things by now. I'm more implying that they died. Th-th-that's not what I meant."**_

_Right. Animatronics trying to stuff me into a crossbeam filled suit. No threat of death at all. Got it._

"_**Uh, anyway, I better not take up too much of your time. Things start getting real tonight."**_

_Yeah… That was when Freddy started 'investigating' down the East Hallway. That guy knows how to be freaky as hell when he wants._

"_**Uh… Hey, listen, I had an idea: if you happen to get caught and want to avoid getting stuffed into a Freddy suit, uhh, try playing dead! You know, go limp."**_

_Because that would work._

"_**Then there's a chance that, uh, maybe they'll think that you're an empty costume instead."**_

_That could work IN THEORY, but then…_

"_**Then again, if they think you're an empty costume, they might try to… stuff a metal skeleton into you."**_

_My point exactly._

"_**I wonder how that would work."**_

_Don't want to think about it, thank you._

"_**Yeah, never mind, scratch that. It's best just not to get caught."**_

_Thank you, Captain Obvious._

"_**Um… Okay, I'll leave you to it. See you on the flip side."**_

_No, you won't… No, you won't…_

Mike sighed again, pressing the button to stop the messages. He wasn't ready for night four quite yet. He knew what happened on night four, and it wasn't pretty. He decided to glance at all the cameras to see that no one had moved. The kitchen was silent, but it had been the previous nights, as well, meaning that Chica was probably still in there. Bonnie was yet again in the Supply Closet, Foxy was hidden away in Pirate's Cove, and Freddy was back in Parts and Services, almost like he hadn't left since the night before.

He hated that he had hurt them this much, and desperately wished that there was something that he could do to help them. But what? What could he _possibly_ say that could cheer them up after finding out _that_? How could he make them just forget the horrors that they now knew they had committed?

Mike groaned, putting his face in his hands. What kind of person was he, to drop that kind of bombshell on his friends? And as horrible as he did, too…

If anyone in the pizzeria could be considered a monster… it was him.

"_**Hello, hello? Hey! Hey wow, day four. I knew you could do it."**_

_Glad one of us did._

"_**Uh, hey, listen, I may not be around to send you a message tomorrow."**_

_***banging***_

_There's Foxy…_

"_**It's-It's been a bad night here for me. Um, I-I'm kinda glad that I recorded my messages for you – ahem – uh, when I did."**_

_Me, too._

"_**Uh, hey, do me a favor."**_

_***banging***_

"_**Maybe sometime, uh, you could check inside those suits in the back room?"**_

_***banging***_

_I can't do that, Phone Guy… I'm sorry._

"_**I'm gonna try to hold out until someone checks. Maybe it won't be so bad."**_

_I wish it wasn't._

_***banging***_

"_**Uh, I-I-I-I always wondered what was in all those empty heads back there."**_

_***Toreador March***_

_And there's Freddy._

"_**You know…"**_

_***moaning***_

"_**Oh, no…"**_

Mike winced as he heard the almost inhuman scream reverberate through the phone's speaker. That was the last he'd ever heard from Phone Guy. No doubt, he'd been stuffed into one of the suits.

The guard jumped when he heard a noise to his right, almost like a static-choking noise. Curiously, he pushed the button for the door light to see Chica standing there, looking at him sadly.

"Did we…" she began. "Did we do that?"

Mike wanted to lie. He didn't want to hurt her, or any of the others, any more than he already had, but since the truth was already out there… "Yeah," he whispered. "Yeah, you did."

"What was his name?" the animatronic asked quietly.

Mike paused. He never found out the man's name before, only ever calling him 'Phone Guy'. "I don't know," he answered honestly. "I'm sorry."

"It's probably better that I don't know…" the bird admitted. "It probably wouldn't help." She paused. "Do you think he had a family?"

"He might have," Mike replied, knowing he wasn't helping, but knowing that lying to her could only make things worse.

"It's all our fault, Mike," she said softly. "We _killed_ all those people… all those nice people who just wanted a job. And we… we murdered them."

"There's a difference between murder and killing, Chica," Mike found himself saying.

"What do you mean?" she asked slowly.

"Murdering someone is with the intent to kill. Just killing someone… It could be an accident."

"But we didn't _accidentally_ stuff them," she argued.

"But you didn't mean to kill them, either," he replied. "It was a mistake. You didn't realize they were human. Now, I'm not saying that mistake was okay, but…" He took a deep breath, trying to convince both Chica and himself. "It was in the past. What's done is done. You realize what happened, and it won't happen again, right?"

"Definitely," she replied immediately. "We'd never hurt you, Mike. Or any other human, ever again."

Mike found himself smiling. "Good." He looked out the other door. "How are the others doing?"

"None of them have moved," the chicken answered. "They're still thinking about what happened…" Her voice got quieter. "How we found out… Are you still afraid of us, Mike?"

The man shook his head. "Somehow, no. I feel awful for saying this, but… The way you guys are reacting… It's a good thing. It means that you feel really bad about what happened. You can't fake that." He smiled. "I know you guys won't stuff me into a suit." He stood from his chair.

"Now, come on. Let's help the others."

* * *

**A lot shorter, considering more than half was the phone calls, but each of the following chapters is going to center around Bonnie, then Foxy, and then Freddy, regarding their reactions and feelings on what they found out, as well as Mike's attempt to help them move past it. Chica isn't completely over it, but the fact that Mike didn't scream when he saw her at the door spoke volumes to her, after seeing his reaction in Parts and Services. She knows he isn't afraid anymore, and sees that there's a chance for redemption.**

**Now, Mike just has to tell that to the others.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Alright, here were are with our next chapter. Sorry it took so long, guys! But I'm back. Here we are to see Bonnie's side of the story, and how Mike snaps him out of it. (If he can!)**

* * *

"_They weren't endoskeletons… They never were…"_

"_They were all human…"_

Those words ran through Bonnie's head again and again as he sat in the Supply Closet, staring at the shelves. They terrified Mike, he knew that knew, and he knew _why_. He thought that they were going to kill him. Actually _kill_ him… Like they did to those other guards…

He closed his eyes with remorse as he remembered the times before Mike…

_**X**_

"_I can't believe all the endos are so reluctant to go back in their suits," Chica said, crossing her arms. She and Bonnie were in the Dining Area on the second night of the newest guard's second night._

"_I know," the rabbit replied, also annoyed. "I mean, it's not like it's all that bad. We're just fine."_

"_I just can't believe they keep breaking," Chica added._

"_I'm gonna go ahead and make my rounds again," the rabbit told her, getting ready to head out again._

"_Good luck," the chicken replied._

_Bonnie nodded in response and headed down the hall. He froze when the camera light turned on. It was a little rule he and the others developed. If they were moving around when the camera turned on, they had to freeze. They weren't sure how they started the 'rule', but it stuck, so they didn't question it._

_As soon as the light went off, he continued down the hall, careful to tread lightly. Foxy had shown them all that when you make a lot of noise, you alert the guard, and he closes the door. And then you're back to square one._

_He stood in the shadows of the doorway, watching the guard for a moment. He seemed to be panicking, but Bonnie couldn't understand why. Again, being in your suit wasn't _that_ bad. In fact, it felt more normal. Without it, he and the others just felt… naked._

_Pleased that he wasn't noticed yet, Bonnie stepped into the room, watching the endo freeze before slowly turning to look._

"_Time to get back in your suit," the animatronic said, grabbing the endo and dragging him to Parts and Services, where he would be put back in his suit…_

_**X**_

How had he not noticed the sweat on the guard before as he grew more nervous, when Bonnie was watching him from the doorway? How had he not _realized_ that the guard was human? And even after all the kicking and screaming… the crying… still, he was shoved in a suit.

And the look on Mike's face when they had gathered in Parts and Services to see if he was okay… The man was terrified, terrified of _them_, his friends. And with good reason, too. Bonnie glared hatefully at the cleaning supplies on the shelves that were placed there so meticulously by Freddy, as though it were their fault. In reality, he knew he was just trying to throw his anger at himself onto anything else.

He had left Mike alone these past few nights, now knowing how the guard really felt about them. The man must have been acting the whole time, pretending to be comfortable around them. He probably had his guard up the whole time, just waiting for them to turn on him, and they were none the wiser.

"I'm sorry, Mike," he muttered to the darkness. "We all are."

He was stunned when he heard the door open. Turning to look over his shoulder, he saw the guard in question standing in the doorway. "I know," he told the animatronic. "And I'm sorry, too."

"What the heck are _you_ sorry about?" Bonnie asked, incredulous, and slightly impressed at Mike's bravery for facing his fear to come find him.

"For doing this to you, to _all_ of you," Mike replied, gesturing to both Bonnie and outside the hall, in the general direction of Pirate's Cove and Parts and Services. "I never meant for you guys to find out the way you did. I didn't mean to hurt you all this much."

"But we're killers," the robotic bunny told him. "Being hurt like that is the least of what should happen to us, right?"

"You weren't trying to be," Mike told him gently. "You were just following your programming. You didn't have any reason to think that they were anything but endoskeletons." Despite himself, however, Mike shuddered even as he said it. Just because he had realized they'd changed, and had forgiven them, that didn't mean that he wasn't still a bit traumatized at the thought. "You were just doing what you thought was your job. You were just following the rules."

"We should have figured it out," Bonnie argued. "You were right, they all looked a lot more like you than the endo in Parts and Services. We've seen adults before, when they bring their kids here for birthday parties."

"But you've never seen people here after closing," Mike responded. "You weren't able to process it."

"But we _have_ seen an adult after closing," the robot said, earning a confused look. "The manager."

Mike immediately shook his head. "You were probably given some kind of facial recognition to see her as the boss," he guessed. "They probably didn't think about the whole 'thinking people are endoskeletons' thing, but you were probably programmed to recognize her as the boss."

"But we were given enough intelligence, we should have realized—"

"No," Mike told him adamantly. "Just because you were given enough intelligence to think and move on your own, and develop your own personalities, you had no reason to even consider the possibility that they might not be endoskeletons." He offered the robot a small smile. "You're not a killer, Bonnie. It was just a mistake."

Bonnie thought on what he said for a long time. "So… are you still scared of us?" he asked, almost not wanting to know the answer.

"Well, I'd be lying if I said I was totally okay, but I'm getting there," he said honestly. "I know you guys would never hurt me. You okay now?"

"I think so," Bonnie replied. "You should probably go check on the others."

"Already on it," the guard replied, exiting the closet and making a beeline for Pirate's Cove.

* * *

**Damn, that was short, but decent, in my opinion. I'm sorry this took so long, but I do have other things to do with my life. I have school, I have a job, I have other stories that take priority, and I'm trying to set up a group YouTube channel with some friends. Not to mention time I want for myself for video games, books, and television (mostly cartoons). I'm sorry if this sounds harsh to you all, but **_**be patient**_**. I get that you're excited for the next chapter, but please don't bug me about it…**

**Well, now that that's out of the way, Foxy's up next~ That one will probably be about the same length as this, maybe a little longer, but Freddy's will be much longer, as our dear Fazbear has a lot of personal issues to work out. Anyway… Until next time~**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry I took so long! I've had other things I needed to do, but I really wanted to get this updated, especially since I found out that one of my friends (in real life) reads this, likes it, told a friend about, and didn't know it was mine! (You know who you are)**

**Anyway, here we are with Foxy's little bit. Someone asked me how the animatronics knew about the whole purple guy fiasco. This is also explained. Enjoy~**

* * *

Foxy had hidden himself as deeply as he could into Pirate's Cove. He couldn't bear to face the others, or to face Mike. This whole situation was his fault in the first place, wasn't it? It was because of the Bite that they were kept out of Free Roam during the day, so they had to be left on at night, which is when they started attacking the guards… the _humans…_

_**X**_

_Foxy stood as still as a board as the maintenance workers approached. He had a good feeling that he knew what they were going to do. They were going to shut him down. After all, there was a distinct possibility that he had killed a child, one of his little mateys…_

"_It's a shame we have to shut them down," one of the workers, a woman, said._

"_Yeah," the other, a man, replied. "I've been working here for ten years, and this was totally out of Foxy's character." He was about to open up the animatronic's circuitry before pausing. "Why'd you do it?"_

"_I be wonderin' the same thing," the pirate replied dully._

"_We know you didn't mean it," the woman reassured him. "Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do."_

"_I have a working theory…" the man started as they shut Foxy's Free Roam mode down. The animatronic could still think, see, and hear, but he couldn't move except for preprogrammed shows, which were more than likely going to be deleted from his programming. "You know that murderer that came in and killed those kids?" he asked. If he could have moved, Foxy's ears would have gone back dangerously far and he would have growled if he could speak. _No one_ came into Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria and hurt the little ones. "Well, they finally caught the guy, and he was wearing the security guard uniform."_

"_You don't honestly think it was one of ours, do you?" the woman asked. How could someone working at an establishment made to entertain children be so brutal?_

"_I do," the man told her. "That guy, Jimmy? Someone said that they thought he came in here before the place opened. I think he screwed with Foxy's programming to create a distraction."_

_The woman thought on that for a moment, and Foxy was listening intently. So it was because of that man that he had done what he did! It was probably a good thing they'd shut him out of Free Roam. Otherwise, he might just track that guy down and let him know exactly how that unfortunate little kid did. "You know, I was chatting with Fran a little while ago. She wanted to see if Freddy knew anything. Turns out that he, Bonnie, and Chica saw some Golden Freddy walking around near the back."_

"_We don't _have_ a Golden Freddy," the man stated._

"_Exactly," the woman spoke. "We _did_ have one suit in storage that was so old it was starting to get yellow. If he _did _work here, he'd have access to it."_

_Foxy's processors worked a mile a minute. He was forced to attack one of his little mateys so that some sick, twisted man could kill innocent children?!_

"_I'm sorry you got all caught up in this," the man said, patting Foxy's shoulder. "We know it wasn't your fault."_

_**X**_

"It wasn' me fault…" the pirate whispered to himself softly. "It wasn' me fault…" And to make matters worse, it was because of the Bite that the others were locked out of Free Roam during the day, even though they did nothing wrong.

Of course, then came the night guards…

_**X**_

_Foxy was, as usual, sitting in his cove, doing nothing. What was there for him to do, anyway? The two maintenance workers who had shut him down had snuck another peek at him a few days later, setting his programming to go into Free Roam at night with the others. Apparently, they felt bad and didn't want him to be stuck shut down forever._

_But there were no little mateys here in the pizzeria at night. He had no one to entertain, no one to play with… Honestly, it was quite boring._

_He perked up, however, when he heard a very faint click. Sneaking a glance outside his curtain, he saw a little red light coming from the ceiling. More specifically, from the security camera mounted on the ceiling. Now why would that be on? Did someone accidentally leave it on before they left? It was possible that it had been on the whole night and he just hadn't noticed…_

_But at these thoughts, the light went out. Now he _had_ to know what was going on. Without any hesitation, he stepped out of the curtain and went bounding down the hallway. He remembered that the cameras were for the security guard, and the office in the back was where said guard usually was. Perhaps someone was here with them, someone he could play with…_

_His hopes were dashed, though, when he saw an endoskeleton sitting in the chair. Something in Foxy's programming clicked, and he glared at the endo. "What ye be doin' outside o' yer suit?" he asked._

_The endo looked up, startled. It looked scared, though the pirate fox couldn't figure out why. "G-Get away from m-me!" it yelled as Foxy stepped into the office._

"_It be against th' rules fer ye t'be outside yer suit," he warned. "Well, don' worry. Cap'n Foxy'll bring ye back into yer suit, so ye won' get in trouble," he added with a grin, bearing his sharp teeth._

_**X**_

He'd killed that innocent man. He was so lonely, so desperate for people to play with, and there was one, one that had been right in front of him… and he killed him.

"I'm a monster…" he whispered, no longer able to deny his own blame. It may not have been his fault that he'd bitten that young boy, but those guards… That was on him.

"Foxy?" he heard before slipping further back behind the curtain. "Come on, Foxy, I know you're in there," Mike said more adamantly.

But when he received no response, he sighed, leaning against one of the walls. "Foxy, come out and talk to me, would you?"

"Why don' _ye_ come in _here_?" the animatronic asked eventually, but when Mike didn't move even after a few minutes, he said, "I knew it… Yer still afraid o' me."

Mike sighed. It was true, fear was what kept him from going inside the curtain. Despite the way they all reacted, with Chica's desperation for Mike's help, Bonnie's inability to forgive himself, Foxy's desire for solitude, and whatever Freddy may be feeling, something still held him back. He knew it was awful, and he was only making things worse for his friend, but without his flashlight, it was practically pitch black in there. All he would see would be Foxy's glowing eyes, and perhaps a reflection of light through the curtain on his teeth or hook. Even without everything else going on, he would probably still be a bit apprehensive about going in alone in the dark, but there was no way he could do it.

"I'm not afraid—Well, not completely," the human began. "I'm not as afraid as I was, I can tell you that much." He took a deep breath. "Look, Foxy, I know this was hard on you. It was hard on everyone, and I dropped that bomb about as hard as I possibly could have, but I want to make things right. I can't change the past, but I don't want you beating yourself up over it."

"Why not?" the fox's voice carried through the curtain. "S'my fault, anyway."

"No, it wasn't," Mike urged. "The Bite wasn't your fault, and neither were the other guards."

"But—"

"I wasn't finished," the man interrupted. "Your programming gave you no reason to think that those guards were anything but endoskeletons outside of their suits. Ergo, you thought you were doing what was right. If anyone's at fault, it's the person who programmed you."

There was a long pause, and Mike wasn't even sure that Foxy had been listening until he heard, "Mike? Who says 'ergo'?"

The guard couldn't help but laugh. "I do," he replied. "Now, come on out. I don't like seeing you, or any of the others, suffering, especially not because of me." He knew it turned into quite a selfish statement, but he couldn't help it. He also knew that Foxy adored him, so maybe that statement might have been enough.

He was right.

"Ye… don' think it was me fault?" the animatronic asked slowly.

"That's right," Mike replied with a nod. "The Bite wasn't your fault, and neither were any of the guards. You were hacked, and then your programming didn't see anything wrong with taking the guards and…" the man trailed off, unable to continue. As much as he forgave the animatronics, the thought still freaked him out. Foxy seemed to pick up on this, as his ears fell back, gaze lowering to the ground. Mike immediately felt guilty over that. "I'm not upset, Foxy."

The animatronic shook his head. "Nay, lad," he began. "That's no' what this is abou'." He sighed as his shoulders slumped. "I… I keep thinkin' about tha' li'l kid… The boy I…" He closed his eyes and looked away. "I killed him, Mike. I protect the little mateys, but I killed one."

Mike felt a major sense of déjà vu, remembering his conversation with the pirate after Freddy had told him about the Bite. But one sentence stood out in his mind, one that he hadn't even thought to mention last time.

"_It's amazing that the human body can live without the frontal lobe, you know?"_

Mike smiled warmly at the fox. "No, you didn't. Phone guy—er, the guy who left me some messages, the last guard here, told me something in one of his messages. He mentioned the Bite, but he also said that the person lived. You didn't kill him."

Foxy perked up at that. "Really?"

"Why would I lie?" the guard asked, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Thank ye, Mike," the animatronic said gratefully. He glanced in the general direction of Parts and Services. "Mayhaps ye should go see Freddy now," he said softly. "Methinks he took it the hardest."

"I know," the man replied. "I'm already on it." And with that, he headed for his next and final destination.

* * *

**GAAAAAAH I wanted that to be longer, but it's as long as it is. I'm not going to rush it and cram a bunch of filler stuff into it. It is what it is. So, next time is Freddy~**

**Also, I'm sorry I took so long getting to this. I was really busy with a bunch of stuff, but I'm back in the saddle now. See you next time, which should be soon~**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here we are with Freddy now. Poor Freddy…**

* * *

Freddy stared blankly at the red stains on the walls and floor. They were faint and nearly impossible to see in the dark, but he could. They were the embodiment of their guilt, the proof of their crimes. And that sickened him.

His gaze drifted to the suits lined up against the wall. They had begun to look slightly damaged lately, and they were constantly away, getting cleaned.

Now he knew why.

_I should have realized…_ he thought. _I should have known…_ And he should have. He had been given the most advanced AI, able to learn and adapt more quickly than the others. That was why he stayed on stage the first few nights; he was watching how the guard reacted to Bonnie, Chica and Foxy, planning his moves accordingly. He was always the one able to stay out of sight, entering when the guard least expected it. It had never occurred to him that they hadn't been cornering an endoskeleton to get it back into a suit.

It hadn't occurred to him that they had actually been hunting humans.

His eyes drifted closed as he recalled a conversation he'd had with the others… about Michael.

_**X**_

"_This is one smart endo," Bonnie said, shaking his joints. The current guard had been there for two weeks at the time, which was odd within itself. Usually, the endos were either put back in their suits or mysteriously disappeared. But this one… This one stayed, and kept them all at bay, as well._

"_Yeah, I'm surprised," Chica replied. "I mean, even Freddy can't get to him."_

_The bear himself was lost in thought. How would he handle this guard tonight? He'd learned the pattern days ago: Pirate's Cove – Show Stage – West Hall Corner – East Hall Corner – East Hall – West Hall – Pirate's Cove – Show Stage (if anyone had been left when it first checked) – Parts and Services – Kitchen – Dining Area – Repeat. And yet somehow, even though it was a pattern the endo very rarely broke, it had still managed to keep them away, continuing to break the rules. At this rate, Freddy and the others would get in trouble with Management._

_The endo had been able to predict their movements, to some extent, however. As soon as Freddy entered the East Hall Corner, the endo closed the right door, shutting him out while he checked the other cameras. Freddy had come close to getting it a few times, but it shut the door right in his face, right before he was able to step in._

_Like Bonnie said, the endo was smart._

"_Okay, what I don't get is why they all have such a problem with being in a suit," the rabbit commented. "It's not really all that bad. I mean, sure, it can get messy, but that's what the cleaners are here for."_

"_I dunno," Chica replied with a shrug. "Well, I'm going to go ahead and make my rounds. See you later!"_

_**X**_

In hindsight, Freddy was very glad that they had never been able to catch Mike. He was a valuable friend, and he opened their eyes – albeit a bit harshly – to the cold, horrifying reality of what they had been doing for the past thirty years. Freddy vowed to himself that no one would ever die again in his pizzeria, if he had anything to say about it.

_**X**_

"_No, please, stop!" the endo yelled as it was being dragged toward Parts and Services. "Please, I have a family!"_

"_Here with us," the bear animatronic agreed. "But you've broken the rules."_

"_What rules?!" the endo yelled, crying now. "All I did was sign up for this crap job, I didn't know there were _rules_ like that! I didn't even know you guys walked around at night until I signed the waiver!"_

_Freddy looked at him, puzzled. Why were the endos so desperate? This wasn't the first time that an endo had tried to convince him, as well as the others, that it was human. But he knew that that wasn't possible, because humans weren't allowed in the pizzeria after it closed, other than Management. It was a rule, and humans seemed better at following the rules than endos were._

_Shaking his head, Freddy continued, opening the door and bringing the endo to one of the empty suits. This one had just come back from the cleaners, as the last endo, just like the one before it, and the one before that, had spilled something all over the suit right before it broke. He couldn't understand exactly it was that they were spilling, nor why they always broke, but he still tried anyway._

_A few minutes later, he found that this endo was also defective, just like the rest._

_**X**_

How had he not realized that it was _blood_ that was spilled on the suits? How had it never crossed his mind that they might be telling the truth about their lives outside the pizzeria, their families? He couldn't hate himself more.

He was a monster.

_**X**_

Mike stood outside the closed door to Parts and Services. This would be a big step for him. After all, this had been the room in which this whole thing started. This was the room that still terrified him. And there was Freddy, right inside.

Steeling his nerves, he put his hand on the doorknob and turned. The handle, however, didn't move with his hand. Freddy had locked it.

Sighing and slumping his shoulders, Mike trudged back to the Security Office. Rummaging through one of the drawers, he found what he was looking for: a key labeled 'P&amp;S'. He wouldn't let his friend suffer any longer. It was time to get Freddy to let it go.

_**X**_

Freddy had heard Mike try to open the door, but he knew it wouldn't budge. He'd been sure to lock it. Minutes later, however, he heard the knob move again, and with a bit of wiggling, it turned. Mike must have returned to the office and gotten the key, then.

"Hey, Freddy," Mike said, standing in the doorway.

"Michael," the animatronic greeted. "I wish to be left in peace, please."

"No can do," the guard informed him. "Not until we talk."

"What is there to talk about?" Freddy asked. "The others and I are murderers," he began, looking over his shoulder at Mike. "And you, Michael. You're still too terrified to set foot in here."

Mike stared for a second at the bear before steeling his nerves and taking a step inside. He needed Freddy to see that, above all else, even his fear, he trusted the animatronic. "I may be afraid of this room," he began. He knew the next sentence would come out wrong, but it had to be said. "It might terrify me, what your guys have done." Freddy winced at the words. Mike, however, bore an unexpected soft smile. "But I trust you, Freddy. I trust all of you."

"Why?" the leader of the animatronics asked. "We have murdered countless people without a second thought."

"You didn't know they were people," the guard insisted. "I went through this with Bonnie and Foxy, but it's not your fault. None of you guys are to blame. Your programming told you that they were endoskeletons. Why should you think any different?"

"They told us, Michael," Freddy answered. "As they were taken to this room, they begged and pleaded for their lives. They spoke of their families, the loved ones that they would leave behind."

Mike paused at that. The guards had told the animatronics that they were human, yet the robots hadn't listened. After a moment of pondering this, Mike said, "But you didn't believe them. You thought they were all endoskeletons, and since they locked themselves away in the office, you thought that they…" He took a deep breath. This was still a hard thing for him to talk about, as the horror of what had happened was still too fresh in Mike's mind. "You probably thought that they would do or say anything to avoid being put in their suits, so you probably thought that it was just a story they were coming up with. Everything you knew told you that you were doing the right thing."

Freddy replied by simply shaking his head. "I don't believe you understand," he began. "We've torn families apart with what we've done. How many men and women will never see their husbands and wives again because of what we did? How many parents will never see their children again due to our actions?" He looked Mike dead in the eye and addressed the problem directly. "How can I face the children knowing that I may be responsible for the loss of one of their parents?"

Mike paused, realizing that this was what had been truly bothering Freddy. He knew that the bear loved children more than anything in the world, even more than Bonnie, Chica or Foxy did. So the thought that he had caused any amount of sorrow for a child… It must be tearing him apart. And what could he say? Nothing he had to say would help Freddy move past this, as he seemed quite adamant in believing that it was his fault.

Taking a glance back at the stage, the man had an idea.

Stepping further into Parts and Services, and even shutting the door and turning on his flashlight to prove the complete trust he had in Freddy, he said, "How do you think the children will feel if you aren't there? This place is _Freddy Fazbear's_ Pizza. Not Chica's, not Bonnie's, not Foxy's. _Yours_. Children come here to see you perform every day. It might even be the highlight of some little kid's rough day at school. And even if you do perform… My boss told me that she can tell that you guys are depressed. What if the children start to notice?" he asked. "Do you want to worry those children who care about you so much?"

"You may be right, Michael," Freddy said softly. "But if the children knew about the horrors we have committed, they would run from this place and never return."

"Okay, one, they'll probably never find out and two, even if they did, you guys aren't like that anymore," Mike informed him. "You realize now what you've done, and you're beating yourself up over it. That's good, it means that you really didn't know, and that you regret what you did. But the time for beating yourself up is over." His eyes softened. "I think you and the others have suffered enough."

Freddy took one last look at the bloodstains on the walls before turning and fully facing Mike. "I suppose you are right," he told the guard. "The time for mourning and self-hatred has come and gone. It's time to return to the stage," he added, glancing at the clock to reveal 5:55. Chica and Bonnie had already taken their places on the stage.

"Remember that," Mike told him as the animatronic joined his friends onstage, smiling gratefully at the human before clearing his face and staring straight forward, his servos shutting down until it was time to perform.

_**X**_

Mike returned to the pizzeria at 3 PM when his boss once again called him in. Had his efforts not been enough to cheer them up? He thought he'd done a good job. It had seemed that Chica had come to terms with everything on her own, as she hadn't appeared depressed earlier when she had returned with Bonnie to the stage, while he was still talking with Freddy. But had he missed something with Bonnie or Freddy? Was there still something left to address?

His fears were quelled, however, when he saw Valerie leaning against the wall next to the West Hall.

"Ma'am?" he asked, a bit confused.

"I don't know how you did it, Schmidt," she began, looking at the animatronics as they put on their show. All signs of depression were gone. It was as though Mike had never dropped that bombshell on them in the first place. "But you did."

Mike simply smiled in response. It looked like things were going back to normal again.

* * *

**Well, normal for Freddy and the gang, anyway. Welp, that's the end of that. Next up is Making Money. I hope you enjoyed this installment, and I hope you keep your eyes peeled for the next one~**


End file.
